Time is money, make it count

By Raewyn Court

NZ Herald·

15 Mar, 2018 08:08 PM5 mins to read

In a sea of competing candidates you've got only five to 10 seconds to stand out from the crowd.

It's a harsh truth, but in a sea of competing candidates you've got only five to 10 seconds to stand out from the crowd and impress a potential employer. That's why it pays to stay current with the trending buzzwords being scanned for by recruiters. LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, has just revealed its annual Top 10 Buzzwords – a list of the most commonly-used words on New Zealand LinkedIn profiles.

The new list shows that when job candidates are describing themselves, they're now focusing on skills and experience over personal strengths. LinkedIn analysed the most popular words in member profiles and found that New Zealanders are highlighting their verifiable skills, with words such as "experienced" (up five places from last year) and "specialise" appearing at the top of the list, more than their personal attributes such as innovative (gone this year) and creative (dropped four places).

Shiva Kumar, LinkedIn's head of brand and communications in Australia and New Zealand, explains that this reflects the changing nature of job roles, which he says are becoming more specific and experience-driven. "With the rise of the gig economy and shorter job tenures for many, the language we use to promote ourselves is shifting away from highlighting particular personal strengths towards skills and abilities that can be more specifically categorised."

Kumar notes we're more often seeing recruiters use keywords to identify the perfect candidates. "It's important that professionals are using the right words in their profiles to ensure they're standing out to land the job they want."

But how do candidates know which keywords to use in their profiles, to ensure they're catching the eye of the recruiter and standing out above other candidates? Kumar says one measure of checking if your keywords are working is whether you're getting profile views. "Using the right keywords in the position or job title field and in the summary on your LinkedIn profile, as well as listing your skills, is a good way to get the attention of the recruiter. It's also important that you keep your profile active by participating in conversations and voicing your opinion on topics you care about."

Kumar says that although graduates are coming out of tertiary education with the latest training and most progressive ideas, such importance is now being attributed to "experience" that it's becoming imperative for younger professionals to gain some work experience before graduating, to help them learn key business skills for professional employment.

With the rise of the gig economy and shorter job tenures for many, the language we use to promote ourselves is shifting
Shiva Kumar, LinkedIn

LinkedIn partnered with sociolinguist expert Professor Rodney Jones, from the University of Reading, to explain what the change in language on member profiles means for the modern-day jobseeker.

"This narrowing down from generic terms to words such as skilled and strategic reflects a change in job roles that are becoming more specific and experience-driven. Roles in the banking and pharma sector, for example, are under increasing scrutiny and as a result require more verifiable skills and attributes," says Jones.

The 2017 global list of buzzwords revealed an increased use of leadership in recent years. Jones attributes this to the notion that companies are becoming less hierarchical, with even junior members being expected to demonstrate leadership.

To help members improve their profiles and stand out to recruiters, LinkedIn offers the following tips:

●Take pride in your online appearance: Help your ideal employer find you by ensuring your LinkedIn profile is complete and sells you in the best possible way, starting with the language you use. If you consider yourself a "specialist", why not show this by tailoring your profile accordingly? List relevant skills which have been built up through your work experience.

●Show character: Although the words you choose say a lot about you, it's also important to strike a professional tone. Be assertive and direct when talking about your achievements. Don't shy away from adding some personality to your language though – this is a great way to show your character.

●Words don't need to do all the talking: Instead of saying you are "creative", why not show recruiters by including presentations, video, design work and projects you take pride in?

●Be active: It is not just about what's on your profile, proactivity is key when it comes to networking. Follow organisations that inspire you, or that you'd love to work for, make new connections, join groups and participate in discussions. This keeps your profile active and shows recruiters that you're plugged in to what's happening in your industry.

●Voice your opinion: If you're an "expert" on a given topic, why not tell the world by publishing a post on LinkedIn?